"How many churches are too many?" - Joey Ferrell
Brethren, this is a very challenging topic of discussion that we are exploring in this article. Please read this with the sincerity of heart and love for the kingdom in which it is presented. The question is - how many churches are too many….you can add to this several concluding statements.
For example -
in the thought of denominationalism - well, let’s answer that quickly - Jesus built ONE church - not many.
in the thought of traditions or opinions on doctrine - hmmm, well, yep, we have too many of those and there ought not be.
in the thought of the ethnicity of its members - God forbid - but it happens more than one might think.
in the thought of in one area (city, county, state, country) - this is really the focus of the question at hand that will be explored, so please allow me the levity to explain.
There are multiple areas in the United States, especially, in which we may find an abundance of congregations of the Lord’s church. To think of a few areas - Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, and my own home state of Tennessee are all well known as being the “larger” areas of a multiplicity of the church. I am not referring to denominational bodies, but only those who practice the doctrines laid out in the Bible that we can see as a complete replica of the Acts 2 church in beliefs and practice. But, what does this actually mean? Does this mean that these areas have the most “Christians” of the world? Does it mean that truth is being taught more than let’s say in Wyoming? Would it indicate a better moral and ethical pattern of belief in any one particular area? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding “no.” While some of these ideas can come to be known in some areas, these are not the end-all, be-all idea of why there are so many congregations in any particular area.
Let’s think about how an area becomes saturated with multiple congregations. Some of what I am about to say is from discussion with brethren, but also from witnessing first hand situations, as well as historical accounts. In the times since the 1st century, it was a custom in some circles of religion to consider a “minyan” (ten men over the age of 13) to be a suitable designation to create a “local” assembly. Some of that may have carried over into history over the years in our own back yards. But let’s get a little closer to our point of time in history. Many of the rural congregations were established in areas where a multiplicity of people lived and farmed and it would be challenging for them to travel long distances to assemble together in a bigger town at all times, hence, the often seen “school house” shared as a “church house” in which the building was a “multi-purpose” facility for the community. We are talking (in the United States at least) in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The restoration movement probably caused even more of these types of communities as some denominational bodies realized that they had been following error and needed to exit their current assemblies to align with truth.
But then what? Well, along came more transportation, more houses, more populated areas, and yep…more congregations. Why? Some overgrew their meeting houses. Some families grew and their needs grew to move or locate away from their homes to start new homes - and in their communities, new congregations. And then, we have the thriving church plants of the middle of the 20th century where mission-minded individuals recognized that even in our own country that there was not enough faithful congregations to allow for the growth of an area and the rapid growth of the church…and they isolated a group of families and “opened” a new congregation. This was definitely needed and still needed in part in some areas today.
Let’s move closer to today. Rounding the middle of the 20th century to the horizon of Y2K came a whole new gamut of challenges and a plethora of ideas about the church it would seem. The unity of the church was put into question with some differing opinions of how corporate worship should look (not doctrinally, but opinions such as when to pass the Lord’s supper and how many plates/cups, etc.), how funds could be used by an autonomous congregation, if we should participate in certain activities both inside and outside of the building…and even if we should have a building at all. This was a grand divide, almost as large as the one of the early 1900’s when the Christian church began to be separated as those who would accept instruments in worship. Ironically, many of the congregations around where I live were once called “Christian church” - because there was no other necessary name! Oh boy how that has changed with time.
Then, we move on through the 20th century. Technology makes its way into the world. More and faster automobiles almost negate concerns about traveling to worship assemblies beyond a couple of miles from home. The rage of building bigger and prettier and grander and more modern buildings began to take shape. This one is bigger than that one. Our steeple needs to be taller than the one across town. Our sign has to be larger. These are all attitudes that have been seen within the church and we cannot ignore that they were and still are there at times. We call the church and her works a lighthouse from time to time, but in some areas, there were more lighthouses than ships to navigate to them, causing a lot of confusion as to which lighthouse was the right…or best one for our ship to navigate toward.
And…here comes the 21st Century. Oh wow. We can “watch” worship now in the comfort of our own homes. We are so busy that we need multiple clocks in multiple locations so that we know the exact start time and exact stop time of our scheduled worship and activities. And of course, with the pandemic coming to town, there were a lot of changes that both aided…and disabled the local church in many ways.
But, is that the issue of the question? Part of it. So…when are there TOO MANY churches?
Let’s talk about why the question even comes up. We all know that in the past few years that some congregations have declined…and some have completely shuttered their doors. Some of these were not because of any reason other than they could not pay their bills….while some were because of drastic demographic changes in their area. Although the church is not a business, we have to deal with the business of the church if that makes sense. We have support of a preacher sometimes, insurance, utilities, maintenance, and of course that old dreaded day that the air conditioner stops working and we have to use the funds we stored up for that rainy (hot) day! All of these add up to a lot of funds needed to just keep the doors open.
So, what is the analogy of that? Well, unfortunately, too many times, we may see that the reasoning for trying to keep the doors open at a particular congregation may not be because they are working to grow that congregation and be the shining light in the community….but that it may be from other reasons. Here are some…but of course I am not trying to be judgmental, or are these a complete list of inclusive reasons. And, again, please allow the levity to explain and hopefully if these reasons are something that sounds familiar, it is my prayer that we all will think these things through.
Heritage - “my family has always attended at this building”; “my grandaddy put the bricks on the outside of the building”'; “I was baptized here”; “My culture worships differently”; etc.
Social - “all of my friends attend here”; “This is the place that people in the community respect more than any other”
Leadership - “xxxxxxxx is the only preacher that I will listen to”; “I know the elders and they don’t question my heart and life”; “If I went somewhere else, the leadership would want me to do something in the congregation”
Opinions and attitude - “I am important here”; “without me this church would close”; “I had an argument with that brother (or family) over there, so I don’t think it would be good to worship with them over there”; “I want to do things this way, and they won’t listen”
Finances - “we have too much money to just leave here”; “Someone left a lot of money for us to keep the church going”
Brethren, I do not suggest that I know the answer to every situation or can give advice to any of these mentioned; however, we have to look at being good stewards of God’s church, His finances, and His people! Some time ago, I knew of a congregation that only has 3 people that attend their bible study class. There were 4, but one person decided to leave. During worship, they may have 15-20 there and certainly if there is a reason that they need to be there, then so be it. However, knowing where this congregation meets, it is also known that there are 3-4 other congregations within a 5 mile radius. One of those is also struggling to keep members there and the lights on, but 2 of those seem to be growing in number and efforts to grow in the community. While none of us have authority over any other, it might be wise if these saints would open up a discussion with one or more of these other congregations. Think about the good that could be done. Well, some may say - what about the preacher? With the current age of the absence of preachers in congregations, there would be somewhere that he could serve…maybe even as a co-preacher at one of the other congregations. What about the building? Maybe it could be sold, or used for a benevolence opportunity or something similar. What about the sweet older lady that lives next door that cannot drive….well….maybe one of our dear saints could help her get to the other buildings.
What would this accomplish? A number of things. A stronger congregation could be a result. Maybe a man who is qualified to be an elder, but cannot because there are not others in one congregation, but are in the other could finally serve. Maybe the young people could benefit by being around other young people. Maybe the monthly expenditures could be redirected to help a truly struggling congregation that does not have the necessary funds to keep open and is not within just a couple of miles from the next congregation. Foreign missions. Stateside missions. Evangelism. More opportunities in the local community….this list could go on and on. When you think about the math, this could easily be $20,000 or even $100,000 or more every year that could go to the good of the kingdom.
When I first started preaching, it was at a congregation that had not had a full-time preacher, or elders in over a dozen years. I was privileged to preach once per month, sometimes twice. This congregation struggled in contributions. I felt bad about them even giving me any part of the contribution but they insisted. The other 2 men that preached there were from two other congregations that were respectively 5 and 6 miles in either direction of this building. I asked in a “men’s meeting” one day why this small community area congregation didn’t talk about maybe merging into one of these other active and thriving congregations. I wasn’t sure they would let me preach again. Many of the answers I received were those mentioned above. Yes, I had read the deed on the property that said it could not be used for any other religious body. Okay…but it doesn’t say it could not be sold for another purpose, or used within the community for other purposes that would still be a much smaller cost to operate even as the church. Some of these saints were downright angry with me for even making the suggestion. One lady said “I have attended here all of my life and I will die attending here.” And she did. And so did the person sitting beside her and in front of her and behind her. That congregation still meets today. But to my knowledge, they only meet one time on Sundays and they get together as a small group of individuals on Wednesday afternoons (not even sure what time, but at working time for most in the area). They have someone come from another congregation to preach and teach still and they are “performing” as the church, doing “church things” until they all will one day pass on and then what?
May these words be read in the spirit of intention given. If you find yourself with an opportunity to discuss helping a smaller congregation grow, or as a smaller congregation having an opportunity to work within a larger congregation to best use your talents and the Lord’s money….please don’t just dismiss the idea. There are many congregations who have successfully integrated one with another across the country and great things are happening for them. Yes, there is a change…yes, there is some discomfort, but in the end, we should all want to do what is best for the glory of God, and for some, that may mean that there are just too many churches!